CONSTITUTION OF THE VANDERBILT PHILIPPINE DANCE THEATRE

Constitution of the Philippine Dance Theatre

22 April 2014

I, Kevin, Viceroy of Their Majesties for this Dominion, make it known herewith that this Constitution has been amended according to my viceregal powers as follows:

Chapter I The Organization

1. The organization’s formal name is the Dominion of the Philippine Dance Theatre. It exists as an organization of students under the official protection, advisement, and jurisdiction of Vanderbilt University. a. The dominion shall possess the official name Vanderbilt Philippine Dance Theatre on all university documents. b. The formal name, involving the use of the word Dominion, reflects the organization’s form of governance and its relationship with PISO, the governing organization for Filipino culture on campus. 2. The purpose of PDT’s existence shall be to serve the undergraduate community at Vanderbilt University through its didactic approach to Filipino dances and performing art forms, its use of public channels to showcase authentic cultural performances in accordance with the professional quality expected of its dancers, and to further educate the undergraduate community about the diversity of cultural dances in the Philippines and their East and Southeast Asian, Hispanic, and indigenous influences. 3. The dominion is a constitutional diarchy on a democratic basis; the authority of the principality is embodied in a reigning Prince and Princess, who constitute the Crown. Executive authority is exercisable only by their viceregal representative, the Viceroy, who shall act as the organization’s head in all matters. 4. The symbol of the dominion as a whole shall be the Great Seal of the Dominion

Chapter II The Crown and Viceregency

1. The Crown is an entity consisting of the reigning sovereign Prince and Princess of the Philippine Dance Theatre. a. The Crown shall be inherited by the constitutionally valid successors of HM Kendric I de Ng y Chan and HM Rebecca I de Wang y Zhang duly elected according to the standing law of the Philippine Intercultural Student Organization. b. The Crowns of PISO and PDT are legally and absolutely distinct and divisible under law, whether or not they maintain any personal union. c. PDT accepts the succession laws of the Crown of PISO as its own. 2. As a Filipino dance organization, PDT recognizes PISO’s role as the parent student organization for the promotion of Filipino culture, and PDT derives its fidelity to authentic Filipino expressions of its cultural dances from the Crown. 3. The Crown’s interests in maintaining the authenticity of PDT’s dances is represented in this organization by a Viceroy, who acts as the executive and creative head, otherwise known as the “president,” of PDT’s dances and performing arts. 4. The Viceroy shall maintain constant and unhindered communication channels with the Crown at all times, and shall meet with the government of PISO from time to time whenever the Viceroy requires cultural advice, or whenever the Prime Minister presents business that requires the attention of the Viceroy. 5. PISO has no authority to adjudicate, legislate, or execute acts over PDT. PDT’s relationship with PISO is officially maintained solely for advisory purposes regarding cultural conventions and for no other reason, executive or otherwise. 6. The Viceroy is appointed by the Crown upon recommendation by the previous Viceroy. The appointment remains the personal prerogative of the Crown, who may reject any recommendation. The Crown may not, however, name their own viceregal representative on its own accord. a. Any objection to a viceregal appointment countersigned by the majority of all member-dancers will void the appointment. 7. The Viceroy holds his position for the entirety of his or her undergraduate career, or until dismissal. 8. In the event of an unexpected vacancy in the Viceregency, the Crown shall appoint an Administrator of the Dominion from among the members of the sitting cabinet. The Administrator shall preside over a session of Cabinet at the earliest possible moment in order to collectively decide on an individual to recommend for the Viceregency. The Viceroy is appointed by the Crown upon recommendation by the Cabinet, after which the administrator ceases to assume acting viceregal duties. 9. All legislation and regulations that apply universally to PDT’s dancers and to PDT as a whole must attain the sanction of the Viceroy.

Chapter III The Cabinet

1. The entirety of the administration of PDT shall be vested in the Viceroy and his Cabinet, consisting of the Treasurer, all Associate Choreographers, and Assistant Choreographers. a. The Viceroy retains the title Master Choreographer, and has executive authority over each dance alongside their respective Associate Choreographers, with the exception of the Singkil, which is choreographed, planned, and executed under the direct authority of the Crown. b. All Associate Choreographers hold their positions for the entirety of their undergraduate tenure or until dismissal. Assistant Choreographers hold their positions for one academic year. 2. The Viceroy shall hold elections to fill a number of Associate Choreographer positions, of which there shall be no more than one for each distinct act, dance, or performance. Any member-dancer may participate in the election, and the candidate receiving over fifty percent of votes from those participating in the election shall assume their elected role. Each Associate Choreographer shall be given full reign over the creative direction, planning, and execution of their performance subject to the Viceroy’s approval. 3. A Treasurer, who shall be a member-dancer of PDT, shall be appointed by the Viceroy, and will be charged with all financial matters pertaining to PDT. 4. Each Associate Choreographer may appoint Assistant Choreographers, who aid in the creative direction, planning, and execution of their respective performances by working with the vision of their Associate Choreographer. Appointed Assistant Choreographers should not exceed a number equal to one-tenth of the roster for a particular performance. 5. If any Associate or Assistant Choreographer or cabinet member fails to maintain the confidence of the Viceroy, the Viceroy may request the Crown for permission to dismiss the individual in question from office and declare the position open for election. a. A majority of member-dancers from the dance’s roster may submit a petition signifying their lack of confidence in the Viceroy, who will then be under obligation to seek the permission to dissolve the choreographer’s position from the Crown. 6. If the Viceroy fails to maintain the confidence of two-thirds of the Cabinet and two-thirds of dancer-members as evidenced by a petition, the Cabinet may request that the Crown recall their viceregal representative and appoint a new one. Chapter IV The Dancers

1. The subjects of the Crown within the dominion include the body of all undergraduate active member-dancers. 2. Membership in PDT is granted by the Cabinet upon request, after paying a requisite membership fee set and regulated by the same in an extra-constitutional document as well as the attendance and satisfactory completion of a requisite audition held by pertinent members of the Cabinet in a panel numbering no less than three choreographers. 3. All dancers (including choreographers) are classified into each of the following three groups. The Viceroy and his cabinet are responsible for the designation of each dancer’s classification. a. Principal Dancers are dancers that have years of experience and possess artistic flair, stage presence, and a technical fluency with respect to dance and music. They are usually selected to perform at large-scale events and showcases due to their skill. Principal Soloists, who often, but not necessarily include choreographers, are Principal Dancers of the highest caliber, selected to execute particularly difficult pieces of choreography such as high-stack Sayaw sa Bangko routines, or fast and technically masterful Tinikling sequences. b. Associate Dancers are dancers that lack the experience and stage presence of Principal Dancers, but have committed their energies to PDT in a manner that shows them capable of performing at smaller-scale performances or didactic sessions, and eventually – after more training and experience – participate in PDT as a Principal Dancer. When a showcase demands a roster that exceeds the number of Principal Dancers, Associate Dancers are usually selected to perform at large-scale performances as well in their training process. c. Adjunct Dancers are dancers that enjoy the experience of dancing and the cultural exposure afforded by PDT, but do not have the commitment to perform with PDT at any public engagements. These dancers participate in PDT rehearsal sessions for the experience and camaraderie rather than performance-oriented purposes.

Chapter V Amendments

1. The present Constitution shall be universally binding over all matters pertaining to the dominion upon its promulgation as the fundamental law of PDT. 2. Amendments may be proposed by any member-dancer of PDT, and shall be passed only by a referendum of all member-dancers after a two-thirds majority of those participating vote in favor of the constitutional change.

Chapter VI Final Clauses

1. Any law or statement in contradiction with any explicit provision of this constitution is hereby rendered invalid. 2. The Cabinet and I shall be entrusted, with the Crown’s advice, with the execution of this Constitution 3. The Cabinet and I shall be entrusted, with the Crown’s advice, with all extra- constitutional documents referred to in this constitution 4. The Crown shall retain the right, in exceptional circumstances of constitutional ambiguity, to interpret from this document an understanding of the law.

23 April 2014 – The viceregal Residence at Chaffin Place

HR&G The Viceroy Signed: Kevin, VR

As witnesses, TM The Prince and Princess Signed: Kendric, P Signed: Rebecca, P